Top Stories category, Page 567
New police chief committed to accessibility in Allegheny Township
A familiar face has been appointed as chief of the Allegheny Township Police Department. Dan Uncapher, most recently officer in charge and a sergeant before that, replaces former Chief Duane Fisher, who resigned in mid-September to become chief in an eastern Pennsylvania community. Uncapher was appointed unanimously as chief during...
Political violence threatens to intensify as the 2024 campaign heats up, experts on extremism warn
The man who bludgeoned former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer last year consumed a steady diet of right-wing conspiracy theories before an attack that took place with the midterm elections less than two weeks away. As the 2024 presidential campaign heats up, experts on extremism fear the...
Tempers flare and bills languish as Speaker Johnson confronts the same problems that vexed McCarthy
WASHINGTON — By most accounts, Speaker Mike Johnson inherited a House Republican majority in disarray after the sudden ouster of his predecessor last month. But as Johnson, R-La., tries to rebuild that slim majority, he’s fast running into the same hard-right factions and divisions that Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was...
Panicked people leave Shifa Hospital, while dozens are killed at a school elsewhere in northern Gaza
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Patients, staff and displaced people fled Gaza’s largest hospital Saturday, with one describing a panicked and chaotic evacuation as Israeli forces searched and face-scanned men among the evacuees and took some away. Israel’s military has been searching Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for traces of...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers’ defensive playmakers must do more against Browns
The Pittsburgh Steelers needed two defensive touchdowns to win their Week 2 game against Cleveland. They might need the same when they visit the Browns on Sunday. The breaks are going the Steelers’ way. Deshaun Watson, the Browns starting quarterback, is out for the season with shoulder problems. His replacement,...
New York man faces criminal charges after prompting lockdown at Ambridge Area High School
A New York man is facing criminal charges after prompting a lockdown at Ambridge Area High School Friday. Anthony Mosca, 18, of Bronxville, New York, allegedly used a fake name to sign in at the school and receive a pass. School staff informed police around noon Friday that Mosca entered...
Outscored on the season and outgained in every game, the Steelers — somehow — are 6-3
It would be easy — if a bit snarky — when evaluating this peculiar Pittsburgh Steelers season to take the route of pondering what is akin to a philosophical question. Are these Steelers one of the best bad teams the NFL has ever seen? Or are they one of the...
Downtown Greensburg Project, Live Casino Pittsburgh collaborate for holiday market series
The Downtown Greensburg Project will bring its fourth annual holiday market series indoors this season at Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield. The market — scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and Dec. 3 — will feature about 55 vendors selling holiday-themed items, decorations and gift boxes, said Downtown...
Satanic Temple after-school club wins $200k settlement from Pennsylvania school district
PHILADELPHIA — The Lehigh Valley school district that tried to ban an after-school Satan Club from meeting on its property this year has agreed to pay $200,000 to cover attorney fees. The school also will give the club the same access to school facilities as “comparable groups.” In the settlement...
Bill Cosby accuser files new lawsuit under expiring New York survivors law
A woman who said Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her when she was a young comedy writer more than 50 years ago filed a lawsuit against the actor Thursday under a soon-to-expire New York law that gave victims of sexual abuse a one-year window for claims that would otherwise be barred...
Dogs coming down with an unusual respiratory illness in several states
Veterinary laboratories in several states are investigating an unusual respiratory illness in dogs and encouraging people to take basic precautions to keep their pets healthy as veterinarians try to pin down what’s making the animals sick. Oregon, Colorado and New Hampshire are among the states that have seen cases of...
FDA screens cinnamon imports after more kids sickened by lead-tainted applesauce
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is screening imports of cinnamon from multiple countries for toxic lead contamination after growing reports of children who were sickened after eating pouches of applesauce and apple puree. Cinnamon from a manufacturer in Ecuador is the “likely source” of high levels of lead found...
MAWC halts fracking at reservoir as part of water conservation plan
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water conservation warning issued this week has halted fracking activity at the Beaver Run Reservoir. Authority officials on Friday said two energy companies that operate deep natural gas wells on the reservoir property will not be permitted to extract water for their operations amid...
Judge rejects Trump’s request for a mistrial in civil fraud case
NEW YORK — The judge in Donald Trump’s civil fraud case denied his bid for a mistrial Friday, rejecting claims from the former president’s lawyers that the proceedings are poisoned by political bias. Trump’s lawyers had argued Judge Arthur Engoron irreparably harmed Trump’s right to a fair trial through “astonishing...
Friends mourn the loss of 2 men found in region’s rivers
The recent deaths of two men from the Lower Valley have stunned the people who knew and cared about them. Sean Dugan, 58, of Springdale was found dead Tuesday in the Allegheny River. He had been missing since Oct. 30. The body of Jeremy Gilroy, 42, of Verona was recovered...
North Side man sexually assaulted girl over 4 years, impregnating her at 13, police say
A Pittsburgh man is accused of sexually assaulting the daughter of a woman he knew over four years, starting when the girl was 10 and impregnating her at 13. Todd Keith Summers, 30, of Northview Heights, was arraigned early Friday and taken to Allegheny County Jail after being denied bail,...
Dorseyville Road in Indiana Township reopened
Dorseyville Road between Rawlins Run Road and Fox Chapel Road in Indiana Township has reopened to traffic, Allegheny County Public Works officials announced Friday. The road had been closed since Aug. 21 for the replacement of a bridge over Little Pine Creek. County officials said the project was done by...
Victim identified in New Hampshire psychiatric hospital shooting
CONCORD, N.H. — A shooter killed a security guard in the lobby of New Hampshire’s state psychiatric hospital on Friday before being fatally shot by a state trooper, officials said. The shooting happened about 3:30 p.m. at New Hampshire Hospital and was contained to the front lobby of the 185-bed...
Pittsburgh tourism bounces back from pandemic freefall, new report shows
Andrew Masich said he started to notice a change last year. The Sen. John Heinz History Center president and CEO watched attendance numbers dip at the Strip District museum during the covid-19 pandemic. Then, this summer, he saw attendance soar when the Allegheny Regional Asset District provided funding allowing the...
Former Pa. employee gets nearly $200k over sexual harassment claims against former Shapiro cabinet member
A former state employee will receive nearly $200,000 Friday as part of a previous settlement of sexual harassment claims she made against a former cabinet member in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Treasury, it has received requests for a total of $295,000 in payments related...
Rosalynn Carter, 96-year-old former first lady, is in hospice care at home
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter is in hospice care at home in Plains, Georgia, the Carter Center announced Friday. The center said the 96-year-old is at home with former President Jimmy Carter, now 99. The Carter family said through the statement that they are “grateful for the outpouring of love...
New Kensington man gets 25 years in prison for distributing child pornography
A federal judge on Friday sentenced a New Kensington man to 25 years in prison for distributing child pornography, including more than 100 photos showing infants and toddlers being sexually abused. Robert Pacek, 53, pleaded guilty in December to seven counts of distributing images of children being sexually abused using...
Pittsburgh Jews concerned about next spring’s primary falling during Passover
Next year’s primary in Pennsylvania is scheduled to be held during Passover, and Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is raising alarms about how that could disenfranchise voters. The state’s primary is scheduled for April 23. Passover starts at sundown April 22 and runs through April 30. Passover has work, travel and other...
New president named at #1 Cochran
Auto dealer #1 Cochran has named a new president. Denny Patton, current vice president and chief operating officer, will succeed Rob Cochran as president. Cochran, who has held the role since 1992, will remain CEO and transition to chairman. Cochran will maintain his involvement in the business. He said the...
TV Talk: David Newell, aka Mr. McFeely on ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,’ to receive Emmy honorVideo
Pittsburgh actor David Newell, who for more than three decades played Speedy Deliveryman Mr. McFeely on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” will be inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Gold Circle at the second Children’s & Family Emmy Awards in Los Angeles Dec. 17. The Gold Circle is...
